The American Plague of Overtaking on the Right

According to the International Traffic Safety Data and Analysis Group, American road safety has been increasing for many years, but statistics show that the downward trend of traffic fatalities has been slowing. In 2006, there were 42,642 road fatalities. When compared to year 1980, the beginning of the decade in which several states passed seat-belt laws, year 2006 had a 17% decrease in deaths. Compared to 1990, fatality numbers in 2006 were only a four percent improvement, and in year 2000, fatalities actually increased by two percent. The major cause of the recent slowdown can be attributed to America’s use of “regulations over enforcement”. In other words, the United States has been focusing on the safety of the vehicles rather than the safety of driving itself.

The United States seems to have an inability, or unwillingness, to implement and enforce traffic safety laws other than speed limits. It has become an epidemic where highway patrols are seen by many as revenue collectors from speeding tickets than actual traffic safety enforcers. Most importantly, a law that many developed countries have enforced just as rigorously as speed limits, if not more, is rarely followed and even nonexistent in most of the United States: Keep right except to pass.

Most likely, a majority of us have had this happen. We’re cruising along a three-lane highway when we see an 18-wheeler semi in the center lane. We flash our signals left to overtake and step on the gas a bit only to find ourselves braking a few moments later in the wake of someone doing 55mph in the passing lane. We are then left in a situation where the center and left lane are blocked by vehicles traveling side-by-side at the same speed. To get around them, the only option is to skip two lanes of traffic and move all the way over to the right where the trucker has the biggest blind spot. After you finally reach the right lane and begin passing the truck, the signals on the massive 75-feet semi come on, indicating that it wants to take the next exit ramp. Frantically, we have to decide whether to complete the pass or slow down to let the truck in. Traffic begins to back up as drivers begin to weave around the truck. Distances between vehicles shrink, the game of tailgating begins and as you drive under an overpass, the cop hiding behind the bridge pillars seems to not even notice. Am I being too cynical by saying that driving in America is more dangerous than almost every developed nation in the world?

Lane-changing is one of the most dangerous maneuvers in driving. In fact, it is so dangerous that more than 250,000 crashes occur every year in the U.S. due to lane-changing errors, which amounts to one crash every two minutes. If the United States is really concerned about traffic safety, why haven’t states taken steps to make lane-changing safer and lane-discipline a part of American driving?

Cruising in the left lane does not only impede the flow of traffic, but it also creates a hazard for people who have to pass on the right, people that you might not see in your blind spots. Europeans have long realized the risk of such practice and have laws in place to combat the maneuver. “Lane courtesy” as we know it in the United States is “lane discipline” in Europe. It is strictly forbidden to cruise in the left lane of any multilane motorway. Also prohibited is passing on the right. When watching videos of European highways, the practice is clear: The right lane contains normal traffic while the left lane is occupied only by overtakers, who move right when they are done overtaking. At highways with three or more lanes, the right-most lane is again for normal traffic while every lane to its left is consistently faster than traffic to its right. Motorists are always required to move right when it is safe and possible to do so. In light traffic on highways with three or more lanes, the left lane could be empty for long stretches, as Europeans know to use only the lanes that are needed which are the right lane for cruising and the center for passing. In all situations, faster drivers have the right of way and when being overtaken, slower drivers must yield and allow the overtaker to return to their lane, even if it means slowing down. The only exception on the highway is when there is a traffic jam, during which you are not passing a vehicle, but driving past it.

In some sections of highways where traffic is dense, heavy trucks are prohibited from passing at all and are entitled to drive only in the right lane. The result is smoother traffic flow where all slow-accelerating vehicles are kept from the left lanes. Other safety measures are also in place to facilitate merging and lane changing among trucks. Some countries have distance requirements. In Germany, trucks and buses must stay at least 50 meters (164 feet) behind the vehicle in front of them. This measure increases maneuvering leeway and allows traffic coming from onramps to enter the freeway safely.

Traffic laws in Europe are strictly enforced and violators will face heavy fines and in some cases, license suspension. In the Netherlands, overtaking on the right carries a USD $225 fine. Cruising in the left lane carries the same fine. Drivers who turn without signaling are charged $90 dollars, and those who tailgate can face a fine between $270 under 50mph to over $720 at freeway speeds (75 mph). The result is a safe and civilized driving environment where drivers can travel on highways with speeds exceeding 80 miles an hour.

In the United States, traffic laws such as those mentioned above are virtually nonexistent. States that do have laws rarely, if ever, enforce them. “I wouldn’t be running around giving people tickets,” said Washington Rep. Liz Loomis, D-Snohomish, the vice chairwoman of the House Transportation Committee. “I would be out educating people about why it’s the law and why it’s just common courtesy to stay in the right lane to let faster traffic pass you.” Just common courtesy? Are some lawmakers really that clueless? There is a reason why European countries enforce passing lane laws more than speed limits. It’s for the safety of the drivers. Thankfully, there are other sides to the argument as well. “The law’s intent is to make sure the flow of traffic is maximized and bottlenecks prevented,” said Rep. Norma Smith, R-Clinton, a member of the House Transportation Committee. “If there are people creating a hazard you want the State Patrol to do what’s appropriate. I would expect the State Patrol will use common sense.”

With 2006 data provided by the International Traffic Safety Data and Analysis Group, the United States ranked 11th lowest in road fatalities, averaging 8.8 deaths per billion kilometers traveled. The countries that ranked above the U.S. are Sweden with 5.9 deaths per billion kilometers traveled, followed by Switzerland, Great Britain, Finland, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Australia, and France, all of which are highly motorized and developed nations, and all of which strictly enforce the passing lane law.

One country – Germany – has no speed limits on more than 50% of its highways, but still manages to be safer than the United States. German driving laws, some of the strictest and most heavily enforced in the world, are outlined in the U.S. Military Police Drivers Handbook and Examination Manual for Germany. The section for lane usage and passing lane laws can be found here.

By looking at the extent of traffic law enforcement in other developed nations, it is no surprise that the United States is continuously lagging behind in traffic safety. The majority of drivers in the United States are driving incorrectly and dangerously, while the politicians continue to wonder why our roads are not as safe as they should be. The United States can dramatically reduce the number of accidents and the amount of congestion on our highways if the passing lane law is in place and enforced nationwide. There is absolutely no reason to build twelve-lane highways and the Europeans have proved that six-lanes will be sufficient with well-regulated traffic flow. America is one of the most dangerous places to drive in any developed nation, but driving risks will only continue to rise if steps are not taken to implement and enforce traffic laws.

20 Comments

Paul

August 28, 2008

While I fully agree with your article about the importance of a left passing lane and the dangers of passing on the right,I am hard pressed to see how to change the situation. Living here in NYC, I find that most of the time, all 3 lanes are congested, all the time. There is no spot in the city where highway driving is ‘normal’ like in Europe. I wish it were.

Mark in AZ

August 28, 2008

In Oregon they are quite happy to give you a ticket for driving in the left hand lane. It’s a decent source of revenue from Californians who do not have such a law, and thus don;t know better.

Most of the problem is education though. Keep right simply is not taught in drivers’ education classes.

James

August 28, 2008

It’s a matter of driver education. Too often “driver’s ed” is just a means of brainwashing with propaganda — aka speed kills — without actually teaching how to drive properly, much less explaining the physics of driving. (Such as why you want to maintain a certain distance between cars at highway speeds — aka braking distances.)

There are plenty of driving laws that could be enforced, if the police bothered to care, but collecting revenue has always had first priority.

In Germany, to get a driver’s license is a pretty stringent process. In America, just prove you can read 12-point type in an eye test and you’re golden. Wonderful!

role model

August 28, 2008

Agree with James. I estimate we would lose at least 30% of the licensed drivers in the United States if they had to go through a licensing process like the one in Germany. The roads would be safer here and the traffic would move much faster, even if the current speed limits were left untouched. We could, however, raise the average speed limit on highways (not streets or secondary roads) if we could just get a higher average level of driving skill in the driver population

G Clymon

August 28, 2008

Americans drive big lazy cars (or trucks or SUV’s which are even lazier) and their driving style mimics the types of vehicles they drive. Big, lazy, inattentive, but occasionally aggressive when roused from the normal stupor they’re in when they steering their big ride down the highway.

Chris

August 28, 2008

I noticed both of my teenage sisters staying in the left lane of the hightway. When I asked them about it (both have passed driver’s ed), neither claimed to know what I was talking about and argued the fact with me. It’s clearly an education issue.

Mark

August 28, 2008

I don’t know. When driving I am too busy with my iPod to set up nice music. Then I am shaving and have a breakfast. But when I am done – I have a fun time passing all those morons on left lanes!

Stéphane Dumas

August 28, 2008

Here in Quebec on Quebec autoroutes (a off-topic trivia: on some old road maps instead of calling them freeway or expressway, they use the French term “autoroute” like “Laurentian Autoroute” instead of “Laurentian freeway”), sometimes we stay very often on the left lanes who are less damaged and have less potholes then the right lane especially at some parts of A-10 between Montreal and Sherbrooke or on A-20 (Trans-Canada highway) between Montreal and Quebec City. And for highway patrols, it’s the same thing in Quebec and they check more often the freeways then the secondairy roads and local roads. That what I heard.

I’d be interested to see these accident/collision/fatality statistics adjusted for miles driven. For most people in the US driving is a necessity, not a luxury. Whether it’s going to work, to the store, out with friends, a car is inevitably involved. So you get a lot of people driving who really shouldn’t be (drinking, sleepy, distracted, etc).

Honestly, I really don’t see passing on the right as a problem. I don’t know where the author lives, but I drive 25 miles to work each way and rarely do I see anyone hit the speed limit in any lane…there is simply too much traffic. Now, if a driver passing on the right is also speeding and/or aggressively weaving in and out of traffic, then it’s a different story. But the last thing I want to see in the morning is a back up created by the state patrol pulling over people for minor infractions.

Franz

August 29, 2008

^^^

“With 2006 data provided by the International Traffic Safety Data and Analysis Group, the United States ranked 11th lowest in road fatalities, averaging 8.8 deaths per billion kilometers traveled. The countries that ranked above the U.S. are Sweden with 5.9 deaths per billion kilometers traveled, followed by Switzerland, Great Britain, Finland, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Australia, and France, all of which are highly motorized and developed nations, and all of which strictly enforce the passing lane law.”

Jaime

August 30, 2008

“all of which strictly enforce the passing lane law.”

That’s a non-sequitor unless there are accompanying statistics that show “passing on the right” as a significant cause of fatalities (to be honest, I have NEVER heard of this being attributed as a cause of an accident, unless the car was also speeding and basically driving too aggressively for given conditions).

This issue is much bigger than can be covered here, but I’m alarmed by the cherry picking of statistics to back up assertions that passing on the right is a big problem.

JohnZ

September 1, 2008

I agree with this article in almost all ways. Government attitude, driver education, police efforts. It is all so frustrating in the US and Canada.
Instead of being blocked behind someone sitting in the left lane on cruise control and getting my blood boiling, I will often use the right lanes to pass. Sometimes I will pass 20-30 cars lined up in the left lane while driving in the right most lanes.
I always feel uncomfortable doing so though, especially with trucks and vans. You are just not as obvious to them, and they may not be expecting a pass, especially in the right most lane. But I never worry about police since they only seem to want to take money from speeders. It’s so much easier for them.
If you tailgate or give the finger to a left lane hog, or slam on your brakes after getting around them, you are risking their safety and your own. Don’t do it.
What I now do whenever I have to pass on the right is to flash my lights as I pull to the right and give four short blasts on the horn as I go by to let them know I am there. This gets their attention and I often see them move right after I go by.
Since drivers who care about this issue have been complaining for years with no results, I would like to see a common way way for us to signal errant drivers without doing things that are dangerous. I would like to see something like 4 short blasts as a common message.

Greg

September 1, 2008

As someone who drives in the right lane (Company car, must abide by speed limits) a lot, I frequently adjust my speed so that others may pull in front of me when there is an idiot cruising in the left lane and blocking the flow of traffic. If you aren’t passing anyone, get over, simple as that. Even if there is a car an 1/8th of a mile ahead that you’ll pass in the next 30 seconds…

Now, when I’m not in my company car, nothing annoys me more than someone dawdling along in the left lane, their speed fluctuating, so 2 cars are next to each other, going back and forth. Never enough room to pass. Then it becomes a waiting game, who will get in front of the other enough to pass them both. Not to mention it is very dangerous to drive beside someone on the highway, it limits your buffer to take evasive maneuvers.

The passing on the right is not the dangerous part, it is the maneuvers that the faster traffic has to make to get around the slower traffic that fails to yield by moving out of the left lane when they aren’t passing anyone. Instead of the slower traffic making one lane change, the faster traffic now has to make 2 lane changes.

People, you have cruise control, USE IT… and drive in the right lane until you need to pass. Accelerate to pass and get back in the right lane and reset your cruise control…

I hate when people drive next to me, the other night, I was cruising 10 over in the right lane, this woman slowly creeps up to me in the left and matches my speed for a few seconds. Slows down a little, speeds up a little, matches my speed, slows down, speeds up… It was driving me nuts, I dropped my speed by 5mph and she did the same thing… I dropped a gear and put a good distance on her. Went back to my 10 over cruise. A minute later there she was again…

People are oblivious, it should be harder to get your drivers license, and they should enforce these laws…

e-dizzle

September 2, 2008

WOW – I would never drive behind you!

Summary:

1Driving conditions are similar among different countries
2Driving speeds are comparable among different countries
3American drivers have more accidents and poor traffic regulation compared to European countries?
4I’m a typical American driver, and don’t agree!
5Yielding, Changing Lanes, and Right of Way on US roadways
6Article Presumption : fewer accidents = better regulations -> Europe is better
7No support of European claim!
8No support of effective regulation in European countries!
9No support of claim that new law !

1)This article is an interesting critique of stereotypical geographical motor vehicle operations and maneuvering. Though, arguments of this article may be presumed upon referenced statistics, the comparison is legitimized through similarity and contrasts. The article presumes that driving in foreign countries can be comparable to driving and operating a motor vehicle domestically, here in America. I think that such a presumption could be supported and maintained, since I believe mountainous and seaside driving in many of these listed countries is generally similar across a broad spectrum of seasonal conditions.

2)If there is need to investigate, one may conclude that driving speeds on rural American streets and roads can be limited to 60 MPH for regulated state Freeways, where as the speeds may increase to 70 MPH in more arid desert or, “open road” state regulated highways. The speeds of European countries may be realistically parallel (professional courtesy speeds of 95 – 115 KPH) in the use of velocity regulation and limits. Especially, since parking lot speeds will forever exist at 5-10 MPH/KPH, I feel that relative velocity considerations among these countries are equivalent. The countries and regions mentioned in this article have shown to historically compare very closely in similar road travel conditions, regardless of town planning, road layout, and traffic flow.

3)This article will demonstrate to the reader that driving conditions in American roads will be negatively affected, by driver responsibility practices sometimes referred to as “driver awareness.” I felt that the concerns regarding driver safety were well established, but believe conclusions to be vague and loosely stated. I also feel that there is room for bias misinterpretation of the supporting statistics cited from ISTDA. I also conclude from reading this article, that a lack of concrete support in claims of traffic law enforcement, law regulation and law observation, throughout American roadways was grossly misrepresented. However, the article successfully raises concerns with public travel safety, a good concern for everyone!

4)As an American traveler, the Holiday driving can be unpredictable, the daily commute can be mundane, the trip to the corner still about 20 mins. In my experience, traffic regulation in the United States is nothing less than first class professional. As a daily American driver, I don’t feel that creating additional “passing laws” will ever reinforce the already accepted practices of road and automobile safety. I don’t feel that this article has persuaded me as an American driver to even consider creating additional passing or, drivers safety laws. The number of daily drivers on American Highway and Biways is in no way greater than all of Europe, however, it is clearly more than 2 or 3 times that of Italy or, France alone, and therefore enables the potential for a greater number of automobile accidents. These automobile crash statistics raise concerns for driver safety and awareness, but do not facilitate an argument that another countries traffic laws system and traffic enforcement systems are superior to others alone. This article equates the fewer traffic accidents with greater regulatory logistics, and although it is well warranted the fact went poorly supported. It was also susceptible to gross generalization.

5)As a driver in Northeastern United States the slower traffic is generally large industrial or, commercial vehicles with limited traffic roles and locations. Slower traffic is usually yielding in attempts to merge, or stop. Slower traffic may be elderly drivers, or traffic in more restricted conditions eg. One-way streets, limited access areas, lots and garages, even soft-should/ no-shoulder roads. Speedier drivers should always be more cautious and alert when passing and maneuvering the vehicle through likewise traffic. The passing laws discussed in this article are in many ways comparable to the yielding laws of emergency sirens, ambulances, and patrol vehicles. American vehicles pull to the curb and yield when hearing an emergency vehicle siren, but when in the left turning lane simply come to a halt in place. The regulations with merging, joining, changing, and overtaking lanes is often a circular rotation of progressive “right of way” responsibility and driver operation. This article fails to mention the custom of 4-way stop sign driver “right of way” designations of traffic control and driver responsibility. As an American driver from the Northeast I am custom to yielding right of way in clockwise fashion, and then proceeding in my course, when moving from an intersection or, 4-way stop.

6)There was too little evidence that methods and legislation employed by members of the European Union have successfully diminished accident or, injury. Those correlations were never developed and supported. To say that European countries uphold their traffic laws to a higher standard was never more than stoutly opinion. Additionally, any critique of American driver etiquette was ambiguous and meaningless rhetoric. This article is standard European ‘nose tipping’ hogwash.

7)It is my belief, this article insufficiently supports an argument which asserts an avalanche of dismal American traffic patterns, from traffic congestion to traffic accident and injury, are the result of and in direct correlation with the countries poor traffic laws and enforcement. This article begins with the accreditation of driving safety statistics which contributes towards the article’s overall tone, but never implements the argument, providing the reader with conclusive evidence that European traffic regulation resulted in the safer roadways, especially the hazard of passing slower traffic on the side of the driver.

8)Driving practices of braking distances, driver visibility, speed limits, vehicle traffic density, and regional traffic flow are also carefully mentioned. The article supports claims with the statistic of driving fatalities for highly motorized traffic roadways, but never definitively connects the discretion of enforcement with proven results. This article would not lead me to believe that Europeans have regulated themselves with greater proficiency and skill in comparison with American drivers. This article also lacks substantiation of connections with lane changing methodology and improvements associated with stricter traffic law enforcement. Enforcement practices and principles were scarcely present in argument for improved regulation in the U.S. and enforcement contrasts were entirely fictional.

9)There is never any evidence within this article to support a claim that one, new specific passing law, or new rules for passing, yielding, merging or changing lanes will effectively reduce the number of annual traffic accidents in the United States. There is no support that U.S. traffic enforcement is inferior to European methods and no supporting facts to argue that the U.S. enforcement system is currently flawed.

brian

September 2, 2008

+Obviously a lot of interest in this topic.
I am a right lane driver. First it is the law. Second, and pewrhaps more important to me is there is almost always less traffic in the right lane because of all the idiots in the center or left lane. So even when I am driving only the speed limit, I am often passing on the right because the drivers to my left are going slower. It might actually be easier to change the law and have slow traffic keep left, than to try to educate a nation of idiots.

carl

September 28, 2008

@e-dizzle

I think the author was simply naming statistics as a way of saying that the law could POTENTIALLY make the roads safer. And plus, if all other regulations (vehicle safety, speed limits, etc.) are similar, but the primary difference in driving habits is the passing lane law, then it could be justified to some degree that the passing lane law does make roads safer.

The statistics are there to say that countries with roads safer than ours have the passing lane law and with so many advanced countries having this law, it has to have some degree of effectiveness, otherwise it wouldn’t be there.

Only typical American ignorance would overlook this law. Americans seem to be inept at observing other successful countries. The U.S. as a whole seems to think that oh we’re so great and everything we do is better than anyone else. Wake up yanks, we’re not as successful as some might think.

Chris , London UK

August 16, 2009

Hi, part of the reason for traffic danger in America is because they drive on the right.

Driving on the left is correct for right-handed people the great majority, here is why:

When changing gear in a UK car with the steering wheel on the right , this is of course correct in the UK etc for driving on the left——–your left hand changes gear and your right hand stays on the steering wheel, (this is safer for right handed people.)

The reverse is the case in countries where one must drive on the right.– in other words if you live in the USA you hold the steering wheel with your left hand and change gear with your right hand because of course the steering wheel is on the left in the USA——–this is dangerous if you are right handed.

Bicycles: Bike riders are in real danger in countries where driving on the right is mandatory again assuming you are right handed—-Try mounting a bike in the USA and you will find yourself in the stream of traffic when getting on the bike—- try it yourself———: Mounting a bike in the UK is done from the sidewalk by right handed people who find it easier to put their right leg over the bike. , Much safer and this must have saved many lives.

Reversing up a steep drive: My drive in the UK is very steep———-when I reverse out I hold the steering wheel with my right hand and look over my left shoulder to the rear window. In a USA car you must hold the steering wheel with your left hand and look over your right shoulder to look out of the rear window.. So you must reverse with your left hand on the steering wheel.. Or stick your head out of the window if you want to use your right hand on the steering wheel. —Dangerous for the 82% right handed majority.

Right handed people who are also “right eyed” have the traffic coming toward them on their right in left hand driving areas , which is the way “right eyed” people are able to react better. When overtaking on a right hand driving USA road the right eyed/handed driver looks in the mirror with the left eye and also views the oncoming traffic with the left eye. A change of gear is sometimes needed to overtake so he/she is driving left handed while changing gear with the right hand and looking in the mirror and oncoming traffic with the left eye. Of course the gear change should in theory be completed before pulling out but this in practice is not always the case. The prevalence of automatic gear change in the USA may not be just luxury after all but necessity

Perhaps a billion cyclists in right hand driving areas around the world are all risking their lives mounting their bike in traffic. Also In right hand driving areas a greater number of people reverse with their heads out of the window and hundreds of millions of right handed drivers hold the steering wheel at speed with their left hand. There are over 6 billion people in the world today and billions of people using road transport. Driving on the left is safer and provably safer for right handed drivers; however I concede that because over 60% of the world drives on the right there is no prospect of a global change to driving on the left.

Mounting a horse, for further illustration of the problems caused by driving on the right just try mounting a horse from the right hand side (If you are right handed)

There is significant evidence that in the days of the Roman Empire everyone drove on the left. (That’s one in the eye for Hollywood!). This was partly because one mounts a horse from its left (we all do) and it was sensible not to be doing this whilst out ‘in the traffic’.
Also, carters needed their right arms free to wave swords at would-be attackers. Therefore they sat on the right hand end of the driver’s bench. When carts passed each other the drivers needed to be sure that they actually missed each other so they passed “driver to driver”. I.e. they drove on the left.
Evidence from Roman gold mines indicates that they drove on the left. The ruts left by the loaded carts leaving the mine are on the left side of the road whilst lighter empty carts entered on their left side.

Everyone in Europe changed to driving on the right when Napoleon started mucking around because he was LEFT handed and driving on the RIGHT is better for LEFT HANDED people .
Incidentally, French main line trains pass on the left too. This is because their railways were mainly built by British engineers. I don’t think that they’ve ever forgiven us for this
Regards Chris London UK

Chris , London UK

August 16, 2009

Hi again, It is well worth reading the comments of JJ Leeming a UK traffic expert on the subject of LH or RH side driving:

Safety factors
Research in 1969 by J. J. Leeming showed countries driving on the left have a lower collision rate than countries driving on the right. It has been suggested this is partly because humans are more commonly right-eye dominant than left-eye dominant.[18][19][20] In left-hand traffic, the predominantly better-performing right eye is used to monitor oncoming traffic and the driver’s wing mirror. In right-hand traffic, oncoming traffic and the driver’s wing mirror are handled by the predominantly weaker left eye.

[edit] History
In 1998, archaeologists found a well-preserved track leading to a Roman quarry near Swindon, England. The grooves in the road on the right side were observed to be much deeper than those on the left side, which would make sense given that carts would be driven without any load to the quarry, but would return laden with stone. These grooves suggest that the Romans drove on the left, at least in this particular location.[5]

In fact, some, for example C. Northcote Parkinson, believed that ancient travellers on horseback generally rode on the left side of the road. As more people are right-handed, a horseman would thus be able to hold the reins with his left hand and keep his right hand free—to offer in friendship to passing riders or to defend himself with a sword, if necessary.[21] It is often suggested this practice was brought about by the use of postilions on coaches; in some countries they sat facing forward, in others back.

The first legal reference in Britain to an order for traffic to remain on the left was in 1756 with regard to London Bridge. The Highway Act 1773 contained a recommendation that horse traffic should remain on the left and this is enshrined in the Highway Act 1835.[22]